WSL stores files and folders in the following locations:
To begin, one must address the installed distributions. From an elevated PowerShell or Windows Terminal window, the command wsl --list --verbose reveals all installed distributions along with their current state (e.g., "Running" or "Stopped"). Each distribution must be terminated with wsl --terminate <DistroName> before removal. The command wsl --unregister <DistroName> then performs the irreversible action of deleting the distribution’s ext4 virtual hard disk file (usually stored within the user’s %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\ directory) and removing its entry from the Windows bootloader menu. This step is crucial; skipping it leaves behind gigabytes of orphaned data. For users who have installed distributions via the Microsoft Store, unregistering them is sufficient, though the Store listing itself will still show "Installed" until explicitly removed via the Store’s library interface. remove wsl from windows 11
To remove these files and folders:
If you only want to remove a specific Linux distribution and not the WSL kernel, you can follow these steps: WSL stores files and folders in the following
Before uninstalling WSL, make sure you have backed up any important files or data stored in your Linux distribution. Removing WSL will also remove the Linux distribution itself, so be sure to save any files or projects you need to keep. To remove these files and folders: If you
Before we dive into the removal process, let's quickly discuss why you might want to uninstall WSL from your Windows 11 system. Here are a few possible reasons: